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How To Avoid Stomach Problems While Running

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How To Avoid Stomach Problems While Running

By Amby Burfoot for RunnersWorld.com

Bill Rodgers once quipped, “More marathons are won or lost in the porta-toilets than at the dinner table.” No kidding. Rare is the distance runner who hasn’t had some stomach or bowel distress during a race. And even though marathons aren’t often televised, there have been several famous cases of on-camera elites vomiting or ducking off course en route.

In fact, studies have shown that 30 to 90 percent of endurance athletes suffer from some form of stomach/bowel distress, with the percent increasing with longer distances.

A new summary in Sports Medicine reviews what’s known about on-the-go gastrointestinal complaints, and what you can do to avoid such problems. We’ll spare you the discussion about abdominal angina, splanchnic perfusion, gut mucosal permeability, gastro-esophageal reflux, and the like, and cut straight to the chase.